Apron conveyer



1933- s. A, COLEMAN 1,922,908

APRON CONVEYBR Filed Dec. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ike/2 mafia-7 ilk/x8114 Qaiemwl MW? M Aug. 15, 1933. v s A, COLEMAN 1,922,908

' APRON CONVEYER Filed Dec. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 peace/A .C 0! cum/1 Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES APRON CONVEYER Spencer A. Coleman, Concord, Mass., assignor to C. G. Sargents Sons Corporation, Granitevillc, Mass., a Corporation of Massachusetts Application December 14, 1931 Serial No. 580,886

3 Claims. (CL 198194) This invention relates to conveyers for transporting fibrous or other material through a drier or for other similar purposes.

It is an important object of my invention to provide a construction by which an apron conveyer formed of sections of foraminous material such as wire mesh or perforated sheet metal may be conveniently assembled and may be provided with a substantially continuous supporting surface at the joints of the conveyer.

A further object is to provide means for covering and protecting the ends of the wire fabric or perforated metal, and for stiffening the fabric between the side edges, so as to prevent sagging between the edges, particularly when the conveyer is of substantial width and is heavily loaded.

A preferred form of my invention, together with certain modifications, is shown in the drawings, in which I Fig. 1 is a plan View of a portion of my improved conveyer;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevation, taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal sectional elevation, taken along the line 44 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view, illustrating the manner of assembling the belt sections;

Figs. 6 to 13 are detail sectional side elevations similar to Fig. 4 but showing several modifica tions;

Fig. 14 is a detail plan view showing my invention applied to a perforated metal conveyer, and

Fig. 15 is a sectional side elevation, taken along the line 1515 in Fig. 14.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, I have shownan apron conveyer formed of sections 20 of square mesh wire fabric having their end portions pivotally connected together by transversely extending hinge-pins 21. The side edge portions of the sections 20 are secured by bolts 22 to angle-bars 23 (Fig. 3), which in turn are riveted or otherwise secured to the inner links 24 of the side chains by which the conveyer is supported and driven. Additional outer links 25 are provided and rolls 26 are mounted between the links 24 and 25 on pivot studs 28.

- The rolls 26 support the conveyer on guide-rails or other suitable guiding surfaces and may be engaged by sprocket wheels at desired points. Side flanges 30 are preferably mounted'on each belt section 20 and may be conveniently secured by the bolts 22 y which the wire mesh fabric is secured to the angle iron side bars 23.

The construction thus far described is in general of the usual form and in itself forms no part of my present invention, which relates particularly to the means for joining togetherthe ends of the wire fabric sections 20 and also for protecting the ends and reenforcing the fabric against downward displacement or sagging.

In order to form a hinge joint between successive fabric sections, I remove certain of the cross wires 33 as indicated in Fig. 5, leaving a short portion of the fabric at each end formed entirely of longitudinal wires. These end portions are then bent backward, as indicated in Fig. 4, providing loops 35 which may be overlapped to receive a hinge-pin 21.

The ends of the fabric are then preferably turned downward, as indicated in Fig. 4, and are covered and protected by U-shaped sheet metal braces or cross girts 40, secured to the ends of the fabric in any convenient manner as by rivets 41.

The inner edges of the member 40 may be reversely folded, as indicated at 42, for additional reenforcement and to avoid sharpcutting edges.

With this construction, it will be evident that the adjacent ends of the wir'e'mesh'sections 20'are conveniently secured together by the cross-pins 21. and that the surface of the fabric is made substantially continuous. At the same time, the edges of the fabric are concealed and protected by the U-shaped cross girts 40, which may be made of any desired thickness of metal and which substantially and effectively stiffen the conveyer transversely and prevent any substantial downward displacement of the belt under load.

It will be noted that the longitudinal pull of the belt is taken entirely by the relatively heavy side links 24 and 25 and by the pivot studs 28,

and that practically no longitudinal tension is carried by the cross-pins 21 which are used merely to hold the ends of the wire mesh fabric in alignment and to provide a substantially continuous supporting surface.

In Figs. 6 to 13 inclusive I have shown various modifications of the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5. In Fig. 6 the U-shaped cross girt members 40 are omitted and the belt is stiffened transversely merely by the downwardly projecting edge portions of the conveyer fabric. Such a construction may be used for narrow belts or light loads.

The construction shown in Fig. '7 is substantially similar to that shown in Fig. 4, with the exception that the outer side of eachcross girt member 52 g is extended as indicated at 53 to engage and directly support the under side of the conveyer fabric 54.

In Fig. 8 the conveyer fabric is given a reverse bend and the cross girt member 61 is inverted, so that the closed or rounded end of the girt engages the under side of the fabric 60.

In Fig. 9 the U-shaped cross girt member is replaced by a single fiat plate 66 which performs a stiffening function and to some extent protects the unfinished edge of the fabric.

In Fig. 10 a fiat plate 70 is inserted between the surfaces of a reverse fabric fold 71, and this plate 70 is preferably provided with a folded or rounded end portion 72 engaging the under side of the fabric.

In Fig. 11 the end of the fabric 75 is turned directly outward, as indicated at 76, and is secured in a folded member '77. One edge of the member '77 is turned over to provide a supporting portion '78 and the other edge '79 is bent around to provide a bearing portion to receive a hinge-pin 80. The portions '79 on adjacent sections will be alternately slotted to permit them to overlap and receive the hinge-pin 80.

The construction shown in Fig. 12 is somewhat similar to Fig. 11, with the exception thatseparate bearing members as are provided, which bearing members are clamped between the folds wire fabric 91 between the sides of a U-shaped cross girt 92.

In Figs. 14 and 15 I have shown the adaptation of my invention to the use of perforated metal in place of wire mesh fabric. The edge portions of the perforated metal plates 100 are folded backward along one line of slots to provide loops 101 for a cross-pin 102. The extreme edge portions are then bent backward and outward,

.each form I have provided for connecting the ends of foraminous sections in such manner as to provide a substantially continuous surface and I have also provided for effectively stiffening the apron conveyer transversely.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than at set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:-

1. In an apron conveyer, a plurality of foraminous sections having end portions offset and projecting outwardly from the back surface of said conveyer, in planes approximately perpendicular to the plane of said conveyer, hinge members secured to said offset portions and also approximately perpendicular to the plane of said conveyer, and means to pivotally connect said hinge members together.

2. In an apron conveyer, a plurality of forami- V nous sections having end portions offset and pro- 0 jecting outwardly from the back surface of said conveyer, hinge members secured to said offset portions, means to pivotally connect said hinge members together, and stiffening plates secured to said offset portions and hinge members and positioned substantially parallel thereto.

3. In an apron conveyer, a plurality of foraminous sections having end portions offset and projectingoutwardly from the back surface of said conveyer, hinge members secured to said offsetportions, means to pivotally connect said hinge members together, and stiffening members secured to said offset portions and binge members and enclosing the outer edges thereof. 12

SPENCER A. COLEMAN. 

